ATLANTA – The disappointed fans who originally bought tickets to “Magic City night” were duped into watching a red-hot basketball team instead. The suddenly scorching Atlanta Hawks won their 10th consecutive game Monday, dismantling Orlando 124-112 behind a career-high 41 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson’s second-straight triple-double.
The Magic, who came in riding their own seven-game winning streak, never led after the first three minutes and trailed by as many as 29.
“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, the team has looked different at times” said Johnson, “But we’ve remained together. That’s allowed us to stack these kind of wins, go on a win streak like this. The little things we’ve been doing off the court and in practice … this is the result.”
“We didn’t care who got the shots,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “We were really willing to pass it. That’s how we should play, and that’s where we’re at our best.”
Orlando (38-29) was by far the toughest opponent Atlanta has faced on the streak, one that has featured a series of home games against some of the league’s weakest teams and a few opponents who were riddled by injuries. The Hawks will try to make it 11 straight wins Wednesday against a flagging (sorry) Dallas team that is 4-20 in its last 24 games, followed by what is likely a much sterner test in Houston on Friday night.
The win also puts Atlanta (37-31) just 1 1/2 games behind Orlando for the fifth spot in the East, in a pack of five teams between fifth and ninth place. The Hawks have a 3-0 season-series lead on Orlando and clinched the tie-breaker with the win.
The game was originally scheduled as a “Magic City night” promotion by the Hawks, in concert with the renowned local gentlemen’s club of the same name, but the NBA cancelled the event. The only piece of original programming that still took place was a halftime concert by Atlanta-born rapper TI, although the famous Magic City wings were available in the arena without Magic City’s branding.
As for the game itself, Atlanta took advantage of cold shooting from Orlando and a torrid Alexander-Walker to take a 13-point edge after the first quarter and never looked back. Alexander-Walker scored 24 points in the first half, finishing with 9-of-14 shooting from 3 with the help of numerous Orlando breakdowns off the ball. Johnson’s triple-double consisted of 24 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists.
“He barely had to move for that 40-piece” joked Johnson, as Alexander-Walker feasted on catch-and-shoot 3s.
“Nickeil came out of the gate aggressive, we needed that tonight. I’m happy for him, and I know he’s not going to be satisfied with it. He’s ready to keep stacking wins.”
“Sometimes, you just have nights like this,” said Alexander-Walker. “And I think the focus truly was just about being aggressive at the right time. It was an important game, and I knew that I just had to come out and give my all. That was the only thing on my mind, be aggressive, be myself, try to help the team win.”
The game also marked a return from injury for Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga, who missed the last four games with knee soreness. He had seven points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, but shot just 2 of 7 and was pulled after back-to-back fourth-quarter turnovers.
The only drama after halftime was Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu’s revenge technical foul on Desmond Bane, throwing a ball off Bane after the whistle in the third quarter. In the last meeting between these teams in early November, Bane beaned Okongwu in the head with the ball after flagrantly fouling him and was ejected from the game. The teams meet again on April 1 in Orlando.
